The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-04-09
TARIFF REFORM. No. 10.

mislate, and am glad to discuss freely and
calnly so Important question But Ia re
gard to our commerce, if by this he means
rs did in my argument commerce carried
on in. American ships, owned by American.
and manned from America, he il in error
Our volume of commerce increases, Of course
with the natural growth Of the country, but
II is carried on more and more in foreign
ships Every congress tor the las, ten year,
has discussed the decline Of American com
merce. Our ocean freishts paid to foreign
ers amounted to 100000, 900 las, year
Not one of the great steamships trans Allan
tic lines - owned in America. There are
not ~ many sailors sailing under the Amer,
lean flag rs there were years ago. The argu
ment made still remains unanswered One
liue Of industries has leen fosrei at the ex
pense Of another, Free Trade and Sailors
Rights, was a party cry in New England in
early days, before New England was pro.
tecionist region
Mr.. James says that Free Trade is a sci
ence based upon assumptions" Now, in the
language Of Clay and Conk!ing, Il quote the
Northen TTld Bureau, which may be put
over against the terrible Golden Club the
L. s, ha. been from the outset a protected
country. "The first law" says Conkling,
,us-nl I, nrntn,ti va
tariff law Now if ever protectonist
makes the slightest assertion of what rould
haypsn to this country under free trade,
he becomes a mere asserter he assumes
what cannot be proved. Free traders say
that the country in revenue, trade, com.
merce and manufacturers, never advanced
so rapidly, IN proportion, a. in the low
tariff period between lS46 and 1860. Let
any doubter study this peri od carefully TO
satisfy himself as TO the comparative pros.
perity Of the country.
Now the free trader presents hard, posi-.
tive facts. 1t is "A fact that the revenue o!
Nh' tNhh'Al - III NANtSS VI llN ltRlllN4ilt
wants. II is true that taxes are very high,
and that every wild scheme imaginable is
brought forward to spend more money in.
stead of less 1t is a fact that only one TWEEN
tieth Of the people of the United States are
employed in protected industries. II is a
fact that on 4 600 different articles we pay
an average Of 40 per cent mere than they
cost outside of our limits, aud many of these,
especially clothing, iron, glass, salt and
sugar, are necessities of lite. 1t is hard
fact that in the name of encouraging manu-.
features heavy taxes are laid upon raw ma.
terial used in manufacture. II is fact that
while We lament the depletion of our forests
and offer premiums for tree culture, we tax
foreign lumber, and 80 encourage the des-
tructiOn Of our own forests. Are these mere
aSSuRyhoHyH Is it mere assumption that
while the prJtectonist claims to be the friend
of the laborng man, the prOtecte. industries
pay lower wages than the unprotected? The
industries furnish nine-tenths
of our exports. Is that assumption: OF our
manufactures exp orted, the unprotected send
more than four times as much as the pro
tected American copper goes through New
York and Liverpool and is sold two cents
cheaper on the other side Of the water than
to the American consumer. Are these mere
Face these facts Explain
them away, if they can be explained, but do
not deny that there is hard basis of solid
ma erial for reflection.
The principal cost of railroads in Our
prairie regions is for iron and rollirg-stock
1t does not take much wit to realise that if
ron were cheapened one half, more railroads
would be built Nor does it seem strange
hat if our foreign commerce were increased,
,ur railroads would have more to transport.
f we were able to buy our iron, for example,
n England and pay for it in wheat, can
Zee where the railroads would carry more
md the shipping Of the country would he i'll
reased
Mr.. James assumes that to wipe out pro
ection would be to lower wages This DO
lot claim. | tried to show that tn, claim of
he clement to the laboring man" is fraud !
pon common sense. The capitalists claim
t.; deny it. | showed that the highly pro-
ected iron industry pays an average of 81
en's day. But if there is anything in this
radulent claim, it means the other men
aust, at least show the burden of keeping
p even to this low standard. The whole
ubject Of wages is almost entirely indepen-
ent of protection. The irregularity of
'ages in our country shows this. The wages
f Pittsburg are not the wages of Birming-
am. The wages of farm laborers are not
quail. The question is question of supply =,
nd demand. High wages stimulate migra
ion AMI immigration. Wages are to be
,easured by their purchasing power The
ighest wages | ever knew paid were in
lobile in war time. The toughest kind of
ynorant labor commanded $40 day but
hen pair Of shoes cost $3.50 and pound
f coffee 500 he was not in way to lay up